I first read about quinoa three years ago in a food article and I tucked it away in my head. It is a great Scrabble or Tiles word to use up that Q, and everyone around you who isn’t a food dork declares it isn’t a word. What do they know? Quasar is another good one, but that has nothing to do with food. I only sampled quinoa a few times in restaurants, but lately I’ve been trying to work more grains into my diet because I love them and it is really a lack of exposure that has kept me from experimenting in the kitchen more than anything else.

dried quinoa

Most recently I whipped up a batch of leftover soup – all of the frozen and fresh vegetables I could find tossed in with some chicken, in a half beef half chicken broth (ran out of one, had more of the other…). Fiona told me she pours a cup of quinoa into any old soup and it’s great. She was right. I loved it. Jeremy loved it. Loved it. Feeling more familiar with this tiny complete protein seed, I next thought of a sweet take on it.

fresh fruit – one of the many joys in my life

There was a terrific fruit and nut salad I used to order from Aladdin’s in Ithaca, New York. Loads of fresh fruit topped with yogurt, honey, and walnuts. Perfect for those low energy times – a true pick-me-up. It’s an easy recipe to reproduce, mutate, improve upon.

a few walnuts add extra texture

I figured I could set the entire fruit and nut salad on a small bed of cooked quinoa for a powerhouse meal. I had a bowl of this after a 2-hour cardio workout yesterday and it was incredibly satisfying. Now that I think of it, there are a lot of things that would have been satisfying after my workout, like a bowl of chili cheese fries, or sticky cinnamon buns, or some pad thai… But I’m talking about satisfying in the “I am feeling superior for not delivering all of the calories I just burned straight back to my ass” sense.

cooked quinoa

While cooking the quinoa, I noticed the smell of it was similar to the smell of cooking Chinese sweet red beans (aka azuki beans) or sweet green beans (they are similar to the red ones, except they are green and smaller). It’s a pleasant odor that is both nutty and tea-like. The quinoa is a breeze to cook and I am a huge fan of the flavor and texture. It works well with this salad.

Rinse the quinoa for a minute or two under cold water. Bring the quinoa, 2 cups of water, and salt to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce to simmer and cover. Cook for about 20-25 minutes until tender. Spoon 1/2 cup of quinoa into a bowl. Top with fruit and plain yogurt (the amounts are up to you). Drizzle honey over the salad and top with chopped walnuts.

28 nibbles at “a quick fix”

I LOVE Quinoa! Try this if you are a risotto fan: Stir over low heat until melted: cooked Quinoa + dash milk + shredded Parmesan. Season with salt, pepper and finish with Truffle Oil! Delicious and better for you than risotto!!!

Ooh, these grains can be difficult to pretty up, but of course you had to be the one to manage it :-p I haven’t tried quinoa before; it costs a pretty penny at the health food store, as usual! An experienced tongue is an expensive one in my country :-D

The U tile can be a pain to find sometimes. But at least QUINOA uses up a lot of 1-point tiles. QAT really is the easiest way to get rid of it :-)

I first tried quinoa about 15 years ago. My aunt is a health food nut (!) and she made this dish with tomatoes and other vegetables and spices with quinoa, and I’ve been hooked ever since! I’ve never tried it in a sweet dish though, what a great idea!

Really nicely put together, both in the bowl and on the page. I recently was able to spell ‘quinoas’ as my first word in Scrabble on that double word score, using all my tiles. The others weren’t pleased. :)

My Peruvian friends make this all the time and I love the taste and texture. I’m not sure why I don’t use it more often. I feel the same way when I eat yogurt after a workout (though it’s not ever 2 hours of cardio like yours, you crazy rockstar). The superiority complex takes over and I even contemplate wearing only cropped and low rise clothing.

I love quinoa for the protein/carb ratio and most mornings I’ll have a hot bowl of it after my runs. Quinoa flour is great in cakes and pancakes to boost up the ‘less-guilty-it’s-healthy” feeling. Papaya with a drizzle of lime juice rocks too!

This looks delicious (I too love quinoa!) I went to Cornell and remember the fruit and nut salad at Aladdin’s — that was a great place for salads. Sadly, Aladdin’s is no longer in Collegetown…but I’ll make this salad and remember it in spirit. Thanks for the recipe!

A great quinoa soup that I started making recently refreshed my love for quinoa. This recipe is a great way to eat it. I haven’t yet crossed over into the sweet-quinoa territory or quinoa for breakfast, but I’m thinking it’s inevitable:)